Lock screen widgets are coming with Android 16

Google announced that it's bringing lock screen widgets to more Android tablets and smartphones. Currently, the feature is supported only on the Pixel Tablet.

For those who don't remember, lock screen widgets were a feature in the early days of Android but have been axed since. Now, Google promises to bring them back shortly after the official Android 16 launches.

The new OS is expected to hit the first devices in June and Google promises to allow developers to enable lock screen widgets shortly after the release.

Even though the feature isn't enabled on the current Android 16 beta-running devices, Android Authority was able to activate the functionality and found something interesting. While the Pixel Tablet requires you to swipe right from the lock screen to access the widgets, smartphones require you to activate the Android screensaver mode, which is only available when the device is charging or docked.

Still, Google will give developers a choice on how the widget interface will be triggered, so we will likely see different implementations from smartphone manufacturers.